Machine for capping vessels.



I. A. 10m. MACHINE FOR GAPPING VBSSELS. APPLICATION IILBD- JUNE 22, 190B.

Patented Feb. 1, 19710.

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ATTDH/l/[Y WITNESSES J. A. HICKS. MACHINE FOB. GAPPING VESSELS.

APPLIGATION'IILED JUNE 22, 1906;

Patented Feb 1, 1910.

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J, A. HICKS.

MACHINE FOR UAPPING V-ESBBI-S.

APPLIGATIONIILEDJUNB22,1906.

Patented Feb. 1, 1910.

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ANDREW a mumm 0a., moro-umorsnuums, WASHINGTON an ex Jenn ane'os'rns Hicks ,1 or. sniuiurr, nnw annsnr, assrenoia, Biz ivinsnn assioiv- MENTS, T0 AUTO srorrnn ooivrranv. or'nn'w oan, n. ,Y., A CORPORATION or I NEW YORK.

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MACHINE roe cnrrine VESSELS.

Specification of Letters Batent.

lPatented Feb. 11., 19W.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN AUGUSTUS Hicks, a citizen of the United States, residing at Summit, county of Union, State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Capping Vessels, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to power machines for placing sealing caps on vessels and it consists in certain elements and combination of elements fully specified and claimed hereinafter.

The object of my invention is to seal vessels with metallic sealing caps by mechanism thrown into and out of operation by means of a clutch operated in exact unison with the operation of alining the vessel with the cap applying mechanism and before the vessel support is thrown up to bring the vessel nose into position to operate the capping mechanism.

In order that those skilled in the art to which my invention appertains may understand, construct and use my invention, I will proceed to describe it referring to the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of my invention. Fig. 2 is the same from the side reverse of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a rear elevation of the same. Fig. 4L is a front elevation. Fig. 5 is a longitudinal central sectional view of the jaws and resistance post of the equalizing plate which take part in holding the cap and directing it when being forced upon the vessel. Fig. 6 is a top view of the same and Fig. 7 is a bottom view. Fig. 8 is an enlarged sectional view of the clutch mechanism.

A is the standard which supports the various elements having a base A A is made preferably in two parts an upper and lower section. A is the upper section bolted to the lower one at A It has a flange A at the top of A on which is bolted a head plate A A is a projecting arm carrying at its extremity a vertical post A to which the cap holding jaws are attached in the manner shown in detail in Fig. 6.

On the front of standard section A a guide plate B is formed and 011 this guide plate B a vertically movable table B takes to support a bottle'on its upper surface.

Base plate A supports bearings C C in which shaft C is journaled. On shaft C a loose pulley wheel is secured and a clutch mechanism consisting of hub C fastened to shaft C endwise movable clutch dog C and guide pin C carried by hub C and collar C" secured to shaft bearing C, shown in detail Fig. 9.

To hearing G a stud l) is secured on which a clutch operating lever D is arranged to swing, which lever D has a forked end in which. an arm E takes to operate it. This arm. E is secured on a vertical rod E held in bearings E" E on standard A A A. spring I) is fastened at one end to base plate A and at the other to the clutch lever D On the other end of shaft C beyond bearing C a slotted eccentric plate C is fastened and a connecting rod F takes at its lower end by a bolt and sliding dog. The upper end of connecting rod F takes onto "a cross lever F pivoted in the standard A at F Cross lever F passes through standard A and connects with a pitman F at F. Pitman F takes onto sliding table B at F so that when pulley G is revolved the table B is moved up and down, when the clutch mechanism is thrown into operative connection therewith through the operation of the vertical rod E The rod E carries an arm E at its upper end and in its normal position shown in Figs. 1 and 2 a sliding arm E having a cut out E engages with said arm so that when arm E is pushed backward horizontally the arm E is forced backward turning rod and the operating arm E in forked lever D which movement moves the clutch lever D out of engagement with clutch pin C and allows the spring C to engage the hub C with the hub of pulley G and to operate the table B up and down through the intermediate connections. The clutch pin G is held normally out of con nectionwith pulley hub C by the tapering end of the lever D which lever D is held in said position by spring D The sliding arm E passes through a slot in stamlard A and its rear end is jointed to'enable it to be lifted upward. An adjustable guide E straddles E and limits the backward throw of E by contact with the shoulder on the pivotal joint in E so that the guide 98 determines the position of the vessel with regard to its alinement with the center line of post A and at the same time determines the time of operating the clutch mechanism to accord, with the alinement. of the vessel so that, the. clutch mechanism may not. operate the vessel upward to cap it until this perfect accord is effected. The arm E is jointed between cut out E and the back of standard A so that the rear end can be thrown up out of engagement with arm E. A guide arm E is bolted to the back of standard A which is located above arm Fi and straddles said arms to guide it and limit the throw of arm E. To the upper end of connecting rod F a rod F is pivoted, which at its upper end takes onto one end of a bell crank F which bell crank is pivoted to and supported on bearing arm E and the other end of bell. crank F carries a roller E which takes under the arm E so that the loose end of arm E can be thrown up by the roller E by the descent of connecting rod F. The pitman F is made in two pieces and the upper end slides in the lower end. There is a spring F inclosed in the lower end between the two sections and a pin F on the upper section passing through a slot F in the lower section limits the length of pitman F The pitman F is held to cross lever F by a pin bolt F and to table B by a pin bolt F Fig. 8 shows the clutch dog C in engagement with the hub of pulley C as it would be when operating the capping mechanism. The lever D has an inclined end D which engages with clutch dog C and throws the said clutch dog out of engagement with the hub pulley C when the mechanism is in its normal position, and inoperative.

E is a curved shaped guide to adjust the alinement of the bottle neck under the cap holding jaws G affixed as seen at Fig. 5 to, a vertical resistance post A by pins G and adjustable screws G on which screws 9? are springs G6 to press the jaws G against the post A At the bottom of resistance post A an equalizing plate G?- is secured, held to post A by a screw, the top of plate Gr and the bottom of post. A are curved so that the plate G can swing and accommodate itself to. the angle needed to force the cap over the bottle when the top of the bottle is not in proper position to receive the cap otherwise.

The. operation of my'invention will be apparent from the previous description of the various parts and their oflices. The several elements: being in their normal positions as shown. in all the figures except Fig. 8 (which shows the clutch. mechanism in engagement with the driving pulley G with the clutch mechanism out of. gear- The operator places abottle on table- B in the bight of the guide arm E and then he pushes the guide;- arm E. with his; hand, backward, throws: the; armv E7 backward and. the out: out: E in arm. E against; the arm E on upright rod E backward which turns rod E so. that arm E engaging with lever D through its. forked end throws the arm D backward and around its pivotal point or stud D thus moving the taper end D from under the clutch dog C and allowing spring C to throw the said clutch dog into the hub of pulley C as shown at Fig. 8. Thus the pulley C being in connection with the operative parts of the capper forces the table B upward with the bottle resting on it, until the nose of the bottle enters the cap held in the jaws G as shown at Fig. 5 and forces the flange of the cap G onto and over a. bead upon the bottle neck as shown in my application for patent filed March 31st. 1905. No. 253,155. The cap being of smaller internal diameter than the bead upon the bottle neck the upward thrust of the bottle against the cap and resistance post A is received primarily by the elasticity of the metal of the cap flange in pressing the cap flange over the bottle bead. lVhen bottles of *arying lengths are being capped the spring pitman operates to prevent breakage. This operation completes the capping. To prevent the table from rising more than once at each operation, provision is made by a rod F connected to cross armv F and to bell crank F to throw the rear end of arm E upward and out of engagement with arm E by the roller E which raises it up and out of such engagement so that the spring D may throw the lever 1) into engagement with clutch dog 0 and throw it out of engagement with pulley C so that only one movement can take place at a time. The next bottle repeats the operation.

Having now fully described my invention and the manner in which I have embodied it what I. claim as new and as my invention and desire tov secure by Letters Patent is 111 a capping machine of the character de scribed, the combination with the standard carrying a. capping head, and a reciprocating vessel. support, beneath andin alinement with. the capping head, of mechanism for moving the vessel support toward and from the capping head, set in motion. by means of a combined adjustable vessel guide and clutch trip, operated above said vessel support, all constructed, arranged and combined to operate to cap a vessel with a metallic sealing cap, when the vessel is in perfect alinement with said sealing head only, substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses, this 21st day of June 1906.

JOHN AUGUSTUS HICKS.

ll itnesses James; M. HICKS, NATHANIEL P. BAR-R. 

